recipes Archives | Page 22 of 22

baked spaghetti

February 26, 2015 by Abby

This baked spaghetti is my default the-labor-intensive-meal-I-had-planned-is-so-not-happening-tonight meal. It can be thrown together in just a few minutes more than the time it takes to cook the pasta, and it’s made with ingredients we almost always have on hand.

Don’t let the recipe’s simplicity fool you, though. This spaghetti is cheesy and gooey and saucy and just about everything you could want in a pasta dish. Plus, the way it bakes with the cheese and the sauce holding everything together makes it much easier to eat than a traditional spaghetti.

I love that this recipe is completely adaptable. You can use any type of noodles and cheese you have on hand, and you can totally toss in a handful of your favorite fresh or frozen veggies. Even my picky eater husband devours this dish and asks for seconds.What more can you want?

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb. whole grain spaghetti
1 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce
2 c. cheese, divided (I usually use half cheddar and half mozzarella)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

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frosted sugar cookies

February 12, 2015 by Abby

Forget the crumbly, tasteless grocery store version. These homemade frosted sugar cookies are crisp and buttery around the outside and chewy in the middle. They’re everything a sugar cookie should be.

These cookies. These cookies.

Let’s be real for a second. Is there anything tastier than a well-made sugar cookie? I’m not talking about those crumbly, under-baked messes you buy from the “bakery” section of the grocery store. I’m talking about the real thing. The homemade version, with the slightly crunchy, buttery outside and the chewy, firm inside.

Every year I take my FBLA students to a district conference, where they compete in various business-related events. It isn’t the competition that they’re most excited about, though. It’s not the pizza we have for lunch, the scholarship opportunities, or even the day away from school that they most look forward to.

No, the thing my students spend all year talking about is these cookies. Because they’re that good, that buzz-worthy. If you think store-bought sugar cookies are “almost as good” as homemade, you owe it to yourself to make these and prove you wrong.

Frosted Sugar Cookies
cookie recipe adapted slightly from here, frosting recipe adapted slightly from here

for the cookies
1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder

for the frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp whole milk or cream

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla, eggs, and milk and mix until well combined. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix just until everything comes together.

Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

On a generously floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thickness, cut cookie shapes with cookie cutters, and bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter and powdered sugar until they’re thick and well-mixed, about a minute. Add vanilla and milk or cream and mix on medium-high for about another minute.

Cool cookies completely before frosting.

What’s your favorite sugar cookie occasion?

Want to try more homemade favorites? Try these surprisingly simple and stunningly scrumptious peanut butter cup bars or this rich and fudgy mug brownie.

seasoned oven fries

February 5, 2015 by Abby

I mentioned in a recent what i’m loving wednesday post that I am so in love with my new French fry cutter.

We don’t have fries too often, but I do make them occasionally because they’re a great crowd-pleasing side. And now, with this new French fry cutter, they’re also super easy. It perfectly cuts a potato into fries in a matter of seconds, so you can get these babies in the oven and move on to the main dish.

This seasoned oven fries recipe bakes up in about as long as it takes to throw a few turkey burgers on the grill. With minimal effort, you have a side dish that’s hands down better than anything you’d pull out of the freezer section at the grocery store.

I used several of our favorite spices and seasonings in this recipe, but it’s completely adaptable to what you prefer and what you have on hand. And if you’re feeling naughty, go ahead and take the baked fries, sprinkle them with cheese and jalapenos and bacon, and toss them back in the oven for a few more minutes.

seasoned oven fries

3 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
dash of red pepper flakes (optional)

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garlic parmesan pasta

February 2, 2015 by Abby

Pasta gets a bad rep. Sure, most people agree that it’s delicious.But then there’s talk of the carbs and the glycemic index and suddenly pasta doesn’t seem like a great option.

Though I am by no means a nutritionist, I’m here to tell you that pasta can be healthy. If you choose a whole grain version and eat just one serving, you don’t have anything to worry about.

The best way to ensure your pasta is good for you is to add good stuff to it. Chicken, broccoli, milk, peas. Of course you’ll likely want to add cheese, too, but with moderation, it’s all good.

This pasta is delightful on its own. It’s coated in the creamy cheese sauce and sprinkled with herbs. The sauce is garlicky and flavorful without being heavy. In the batch pictured here I added just chicken, but I’ve also made it with onions and peppers and it was brilliant.

Garlic Parmesan Pasta
adapted from Lil’ Luna

1/2 box whole grain pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (I use skim)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
additional add-ins, such as chicken or vegetables (optional)

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sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake

January 19, 2015 by Abby

We’re no strangers to brinner- breakfast + dinner- around my house. In fact, we probably have it at least twice a week. I love it because most breakfast options are fast and frugal, which are two huge factors I use in determining what we’ll be eating each week.

The other thing I love about the meals in my brinner rotation is that they can all be easily customized. One meat can be subbed for another, vegetables can be switched out based on what you have around, and using a specific kind of cheese isn’t that important.

All of the above apply to this sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake. You could easily use bacon or ham instead of sausage and add any kind of veggies you like (to the whole dish or just to a portion). I use a cheddar cheese blend, because that’s what I usually have on hand, but most anything would work.

That’s a chubby toddler hand sneaking in to steal a grape 🙂

sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake
adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff

1 small can of crescent rolls (you only need four rolls; you can always buy the regular size and find another use for the leftover four)
1/2 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained
3/4 cup shredded cheese
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced onion

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cinnamon roll bars with cream cheese frosting

January 15, 2015 by Abby

Who doesn’t love cinnamon rolls? I know I do, and I even make them on occasion. I’m not afraid to work with yeast and there’s just something about a warm homemade cinnamon roll that defies description.

But this is real life. Sometimes it’s 10 p.m. and you remember, as you’re about to climb into bed, that you promised a group of students you’d feed them at your 7:30 a.m. meeting. And since cinnamon rolls are certainly not happening, you rack your brain for a simpler solution. Something mouth-watering, yes, but something that comes together quickly.

That’s where these cinnamon roll bars come in. The base is a box cake mix, so it doesn’t take too many more ingredients for them to come together. I love to bake the bars the night before, then whip up the frosting in the morning and frost them right before I walk out the door.

These bars are so easy, yet so moist and rich, that they could easily become a new make-ahead holiday favorite. Or, if you really love the people in your life, make them this weekend.

Cinnamon Roll Bars
adapted from Cookies & Cups

For the bars:
1 box white or yellow cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (I’ve used light or dark; both work fine)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cinnamon
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (optional)

For the frosting:
1 8 oz. brick of cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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homemade microwave popcorn

January 11, 2015 by Abby

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. I love salty foods, and I love to be able to munch on something while I’m working or watching TV, so popcorn is a natural fit.

My reason for making it myself, rather than buying bags of microwave popcorn from the grocery store, is two-fold. First, this homemade method is so much less expensive than the store-bought variety. Second, those pre-made bags are loaded with preservatives and chemicals. While I’m not a poster child for natural, organic living, I do try to make healthy choices when I can, especially when the healthier option is cheap, easy, and, in my opinion, even better tasting than the other option.

After popping a bag of this popcorn, you have a blank canvas just waiting to take on whatever flavors you’re in the mood for. My current favorite is butter, kosher salt, and garlic powder. I’ve been known to toss in a little Parmesan cheese, too. I’ve also enjoyed my popcorn with cinnamon sugar and with chili powder and garlic salt (not all in the same batch).

homemade microwave popcorn

1/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1 brown paper lunch bag
toppings of choice: butter, coconut oil, kosher salt, cinnamon sugar, garlic powder, brewers yeast, and Parmesan cheese are a few that I’ve either tried or had recommended to me

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french bread pizza

January 10, 2015 by Abby

The other day, I made what I consider to be a brilliant discovery.

I don’t remember what I was originally looking for, but I noticed that Walmart sells, in their bakery department, fresh loaves of French and Italian bread for $1. ONE DOLLAR. When I saw the price, my mind buzzed with possibilities. Oh, the things I could make with a $1 loaf of bakery-fresh bread.

So, of course, I bought a loaf.

French bread pizza can, of course, be made using homemade bread; I make it that way often. But even those, like me, who love to bake, sometimes need a go-to meal that’s easy to throw together and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. When that’s the case, this pizza fits the bill.

The only ingredient you really have to have is the bread. Beyond that, you can use- or not use- whatever sauce, cheese, and toppings you have around. I find that this meal is a great vehicle for leftovers. If I have chicken and vegetables in the fridge from a meal earlier in the week, I’ll chop them up and call them pizza toppings. And, unlike a traditional pizza recipe, this one easily accommodates eaters with different preferences. Just give each person their own section and let them customize the meal.

French Bread Pizza

1 loaf of French (or Italian) bread, homemade or from a bakery
toppings of choice
Oregano
olive oil
garlic salt

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